Rumor Has It
by Synergetic Prose
Summary: Post Series One Shot: After three years of being partners with Leon, Sora was determined to make her feelings known Valentine's Day. But when her friends mishear one of Leon's conversations, her feelings may prove to be difficult to handle. Edit 2/17: Added a little more to the second half.


AN: Happy Valentine's Day! I won't catch up with NBtH story in time, so I thought I'd write this.

Not AU, post series.

Edit 2/17: Went through and felt like it was a little 'meh'. Hope it reads better. :)

SL

SL

SL

Sora wanted Valentine's Day to be different this year.

"Ok…"

She tied the small chocolate bags off for her fellow male co-workers with a red ribbon and plain greeting so that no misunderstandings would be taken. She even made sure they had the words 'friend' or 'friendship.' She had some pink bowed ones for her female friends too. Once done, she placed them in her shoulder bag.

Then came the bigger bag with the white ribbon.

She felt her cheeks heat up a little. It was the first Honmei-choco she was going to give since she was thirteen. Though thirteen and twenty two were vastly different. She was taking a risk, she knew. But after three years of being partners she felt like they were ready to become something more. She fingered the fancier tag – handmade as well as the chocolate – the red lace border standing out against the white background.

She was going to do it this year.

"I will," she murmured to herself, pumping a fist in the air, "I will!"

SL

Anna hadn't meant to eavesdrop.

Honestly, she wasn't that interested in the gossip around the stage. But when she saw May and Leon close together over by the beach end of the lot, she paused. Then halted completely when May put a hand on Leon's arm.

 _Whoa._

Leon moved, prompting her to quickly hug the wall. She peered around the corner, seeing Leon remove May's hand. Yikes. That had to be a letdown. May's voice was carrying over. Anna told herself she was just waiting to see when it was safe to move.

"Whatcha doing?"

Quickly, Anna grabbed Marion and pulled her to the wall. She made to yell at her, but Anna covered her mouth.

"Shh. They'll find us."

"Mhh?"

Anna let Marion stand in front of her as she looked around the corner. Stars were in the girl's eyes at the prospect of spying on the pair. Eager eyes stared on, no longer minding the fact that Anna was still covering her mouth. Her alert ears caught wind of Leon's words.

"Mhhmh?!"

Anna looked at her curiously and then looked back up at the duo. May looked peeved, but not pissed. Leon's face was neutral. May turned around and stalked off. Leon turned back to the view of the ocean. Marion was now tugging Anna's hand.

"Whisper ok?"

Marion nodded her head vigorously.

"He said no to a date!"

"What part of whispering do you not understand?"

* * *

"Sora!"

The redhead turned around, having just given Ken his chocolate. Because she looked away, she missed Ken's sigh as he read the tag with the dark bolding of the word 'friendship' on it. Rosetta was weaving through the crowd of people outside. Sarah set up a Valentine's Day picnic out in the main quad of the property. It was only for lunchtime seeing as they had a performance of _The Twelve Dancing Princesses_ in the evening.

"Rosetta!"

The top of the growing Diabolo prodigy head's no longer fit under Sora's chin and her hair was a little past her shoulders. She smiled as she hugged her friend.

"I got you a gram and lollipop."

Sora took the red shaped heart with a wide smile. "Thanks!" She dug out a little bag with a pink bow. "Here's your chocolates."

"I love getting your chocolates. They're always so creamy."

"Thanks!" Sora saw another wave of people walking over. She looked for silver but didn't see any. "Have you seen Leon around? I still have his Valentine."

"I didn't see him around the practice rooms."

"Is May overdoing the practices?"

"Oh no, I squeezed in a session on my own." Rosetta looked around. "Now that you mention it, I don't think I've seen May either."

"Hmm…If he's not in a practice room, he'll be over at the Lookout."

"Lookout?"

"You know, that part of the lot that overlooks the beach," Sora gestured to the right, "past the parking lot somewhere over there…"

Rosetta tilted her head contemplatively. "Now that you mention it, he does like going over there. I didn't even notice."

"Well I've had to hunt him down a couple of times, haha. When we're not practicing or performing he just wanders off like a little kid. It's kind of funny."

"It _is_ funny." Rosetta's smile widened. "Years ago I doubt you'd have said that about him."

Sora laughed. "He'd get offended and coolly storm off."

"He'd probably still do that if he heard you."

"Yeah, but he'd half roll his eyes first or shake his head a little."

Rosetta blinked at the twinkle in her friend's eyes. "Sora, do you like him?"

"Of course!"

" _Like_ him like?"

Sora put a finger to her smiling lips with a wink. "If you excuse me…"

"You should take him some food too!" Rosetta half yelled as Sora jogged off.

She watched her friend veer to the left table, pile on some food and then continue back onto her path to the Lookout.

* * *

Anna and Marion quickly hid against the wall again.

Sora was walking over to Leon now.

Anna shook her head in disbelief. _Just how many more girls will be appearing?_ She loved her friends, but she was really not looking forward to backtracking the other way to get to the picnic. Sora handed him the plate of food. He took it and balanced it on the top of the railing.

Then she pulled out something from her bag. By the way she was toeing a foot shyly Anna had a feeling that this year's Valentine to Leon was different. Both spies watched with baited breath as Leon read the card. He closed it and looked up. They couldn't hear what the first part of Leon's sentence, but Anna distinctly heard the last part.

"He just asked her out to dinner," Anna murmured in surprise.

"I heard that too!"

"Shh!"

The duo stood next to each other now, looking over the beach. Anna spotted her chance. Quickly, she went around the corner, making sure to still be along the wall. Marion followed her scurrying friend. When they were far away enough, Marion exploded.

"They like each other! Oh my goodness! They're gonna date then marry then have kids and then - "

"Whoa now, it's just one date." Anna shook her head. "Let's not plan their future for them, k?"

"But it's _so_ romantic!"

"What's romantic?"

Anna groaned upon hearing Mia's voice. She was coming from the left side with her notebook slightly sticking out of her shoulder bag.

"Working on the next production?"

"Always." Without batting an eye, she reiterated. "What's romantic?"

"Sora and Leon are dating."

" _What?!"_

"Marion –"

"But he rejected May first, so it's true love. And then they'll share true love's kiss and get married and have lots of kids and grandkids –"

"They're not dating!" Anna cut in with frustration. "It's just _one_ date, Marion. Stop blowing it up into this huge –"

"One date leads to another and then a whole string of them!" Mia excitedly squealed. "You guys don't know how long I've waited for this! I have their wedding outfits planned out and several colors for the bridesmaids and groomsmen attire depending on what they want."

"What in the world Mia?!"

"Can I see them?" Marion grabbed Mia's hand. "Let me see the designs!"

"First tell me all about this date! Where is it? How did he ask her? Please tell me it was written out on the ground with rose petals and candles!"

"He actually hadn't –"

"May first came and was trying to get all over him –"

"Marion, that is _not_ what happened–"

"Then he rejected her flat out, saying he didn't date."

Anna frowned a little. "I heard him say he doesn't date co-workers."

Marion tried to recall. "I think he said he doesn't date girls."

"Girls? Or co-workers?" Alarm bells were going off in Mia's head. "Which one was it?"

"What does it matter?" Anna shrugged. "He was probably just trying to get May off his back."

"Of course it matters! If he said co-workers, who cares. But if girls…" Mia leaned in close to the two. "Then he might not _like_ girls."

"So…Leon likes _boys_?"

The duo shushed Marion. The younger girl crossed her arms.

"Stop shushing me! I'm twelve already!"

The trio started to bicker about Marion's lack of tact. Behind them, Barbara and Hanna exchanged glances and then backed up behind a tree.

"I didn't know Leon's into men," Barbara murmured.

"He does keep a very neat appearance."

"The shiny long hair…"

"Nice clothes."

"Earrings."

"Necklace."

"Tidy trimmed fingernails."

They nodded together. It made sense.

They continued on, not noticing that Ken had paused near them.

He blinked as he thought about it. It would explain why Leon hadn't tried to cop a feel during the Swan Lake performance, what with all that skin Sora's outfit exposed. If it had been him…He felt his face heat up. Well. If he was bolder, he probably would have. He sighed as he recalled the friendship card attached to his chocolates this year.

He most certainly wouldn't have gotten that if he was bolder.

"Maybe Leon being homosexual is a good thing…"

He nodded to himself. Yes, it meant there was time for him to get Sora's attention. He felt his hot dog slid out of his bun. With a soft curse, he picked it up from the ground and then walked off to throw it away.

May stood stalk still in the pathway for a couple of seconds and then went after Ken.

"What's this crap about Oswald being _gay_?!"

Nearby, a group of newbies turned to look.

SL

During the performance, Sora felt like they were flirting.

Which wasn't hard to do with the additional romance Mia added between the soldier and the elder sister. There were extra glances and lingering touches. She felt so hyper inside. He really hadn't done things like this before. _Guess he's just as excited about the date._ She was so glad it wasn't one sided. When Leon's character disguised himself as a prince during the ball, he added a dip to their waltz.

She hadn't seen him so playful before.

The crowd continued to cheer as the lights lowered, signaling the end. Leon got down from the pedestal first then turned to help Sora. She grinned as he grabbed her around the waist.

"Thanks, Soldier-san."

He shook his head at the address. "What time should I come by?"

"Just give me thirty minutes to take a quick shower."

"I do not have a change of clothes with me."

"What you had on earlier is fine."

He quirked a brow. "You'll be the only one dressed up."

"Your clothes are always nice. I'm the one that wears denim and shorts all the time."

"That you do."

"Hey…" she pouted.

He faintly smiled. "I'll come back in an hour."

"Deal."

He walked off. She smiled to herself for a couple of seconds and then went towards her dressing room. There was a skip to her step that she didn't even notice until Mia came up beside her.

"You seem chipper."

"I am!"

Mia hadn't missed the way her friend had been looking at Leon all during the performance. She bit her thumb nail. Would it be premature of her to tell her what Anna and Marion heard? Or should she wait until after Sora's 'date' to tell her?

"So. Any plans tonight?"

"Yup! Leon and I are going to dinner!"

"Like a date?"

Sora blushed a little. "I guess it's a date."

"Did he specifically say it was a date?"

"Well no, although –"

Mia tutted sympathetically. "I wouldn't assume it's a date if he didn't say it was."

"But it's on Valentine's Day."

"Guys forget holidays all the time. I wouldn't read too much into the timing if I was you."

"Maybe. But I feel like Leon wouldn't forget something like –"

"Move out of the way!"

The duo turned to see a frowning May behind them.

"We're moving, May," Sora irritably said. "A little patience never killed anyone."

"That's right, Sora. I'm glad you know that."

Sora sighed. "Mia, I still think dinner is something for a date."

"Date? With who?"

"Leon," Mia murmured softly, patting Sora's arm. "She thinks it's a date."

"Hah!" May crossed her arms. "Zero chance of that."

Annoyed, Sora pursed her lips. "Why not?"

May gave her an exasperated look. "He's gay, stupid."

"What?" Mia started to pet Sora's hair but the redhead shrugged it off. "Why would asking _me_ mean he's not straight?"

"He said he doesn't date girls," Mia cut in.

"And he rejected _me,_ " May huffed. "You can't get a more feminine figure than mine."

"Leon rejecting you doesn't mean anything."

"Oh come on, Sora! I pretty much gave him a free pass to do _anything_ tonight and he turned it down. What straight guy does that?"

"Maybe a _gentleman_?" Sora stressed in irritation. "Did that even occur to you?"

"Sora, I for one, would like the fact that Leon's straight," Mia butted in, "but the fact is we can only gaze from afar."

Sora rubbed her temples. "I need to get ready."

She fast walked away from her friends.

SL

Sora had her hair braided back and sported a nice lavender dress for their dinner.

But despite her best efforts to not think about it, her friends' comments made her doubt. When he picked her up, he didn't touch her. He kept a space between them as they walked to his car. Then again when he helped her out, he kept their contact very brief and minimal.

 _Did I overanalyze his actions?_

Maybe he hadn't been flirting back during the performance. Maybe her mind just made up things. Maybe his eyes hadn't been brighter or his glances lingering.

 _Maybe it was just me._

After all, her card just said that she wanted them to get closer. It could be read as closer in a friendly way. She hadn't thought of that before. He held open the door to the restaurant. She walked in first, lightly biting her lower lip in indecision. She couldn't go on with this night thinking one thing when he was thinking another. They were seated fairly quickly. She eyed him as they were shown their table.

"That was quick."

Leon pulled out her chair. "Reservations do that."

She smiled at that and then frowned. "I'm surprised you managed to get a reservation the day of."

He paused in pulling out his chair and then sat down.

"I did not make the reservation today."

A fluttering sensation tickled her stomach. _If I hadn't given him the gram, he still would have asked me to dinner._ That was a sign of his interest right? Or did guy friends do that too? Her eyes darted about the place. There was candlelight and soft music. Petals littered their table, but white petals, not red. The tables around them had red ones. She tucked some hair behind her ear, trying to dismiss her disappointment.

 _Just have a good dinner with a friend._

She shouldn't let anything detract from that.

"You look enchanting."

She felt the fluttering in her stomach reappear. "I clean up good," she quipped with a grin. Then, figuring that she needed to compliment as well she added, "As do you, partner."

"I am pleased to hear that."

She offered a smile.

Their waiter came over. "Good evening and happy Valentine's Day. Will we be ordering anything from our wine list?"

"Sora, do you have any wine preferences?"

"Oh, um," she looked at the wine list and then laughed. "I'll just have what you're having...buddy ol' pal."

Leon tilted his head at that.

 _Kami. That was awkward._

She quickly ducked her head behind the menu. He turned his attention away from her to order their wine. Some fresh bread was put on their table and then the waiter left when Leon said they needed more time before ordering food. Then he looked back at Sora. She was covering her face with the menu. Calmly, he reached over and put pressure on the menu, making it tip down to the table to reveal her pink face.

"Is there something the matter?"

"Nope."

"Sora."

"I'm fine," she half laughed, "just...excited to be having dinner together."

When she put her hand up for a high five, he stared at it for a moment and then slowly brought his hand up, but not to give her a high five. He grabbed her hand and brought it down on the table. Her cheeks flared up when his hand stayed around hers. She could feel her stomach clench uncomfortably.

"Ok," she quickly removed her hand from his. "I can't do this."

"Do what?"

She got up from her chair. "I'm so sorry Leon. Really."

He said her name again, but she continued walking out the doors. Being around him like this only as friends was a lot harder than she thought it would be. How did people get over a crush and stay only as friends? Someone grabbed her arm from behind, making her turn around. She knew who it was. It didn't make it any easier knowing he followed after her.

"I apologize if I misunderstood your Valentine."

"Oh." She shook her head at him, feeling like she might cry. It was her that misunderstood everything. "Leon, please. I just need more time to adjust and then we can try going out again as friends."

He slowly blinked at that.

"I do not wish to stay friends..." he murmured in an even tone. "Isn't that the issue?"

"Wait. You don't?" She frowned at him. "Aren't you gay?"

The people around them had been idly watching them as they waited to be seated. But with that last comment, anyone half watching was very invested in how this story turned out. Neither Sora nor Leon noticed their audience. Leon stared at her for a couple of seconds before finding his voice.

"Pardon?"

"Are we on a romantic date," her face heated up, "or a friend date?"

He tilted his head minutely and then his eyes unfocused a little. It was his considering face. He was thinking about how to diplomatically say something with other people around. She'd seen that look when fans threw bras and love letters at him after a performance when he clearly wanted to just drop all of it on the ground.

Her eyes widened. _He doesn't like bras._ Which had to mean that he wasn't into breasts. Was that a sign that he was gay? Kami. It had been right in front of her all along.

"The former." Pause. "Apparently I was not clear on that."

Sora was torn between blushing and being confused. "Hang on, but my friends heard you tell May that you don't…" she lowered her voice subconsciously, "date girls."

His silver brows shot up. She quickly backtracked.

"Which is fine! We can totally continue being friends! I just hadn't known that about you when I uh, gave you that Honmei-choco…"

Leon rubbed between his brows, feeling a tension there. "Your friends misheard me."

"So then you didn't say you don't date girls?"

"I did say that," he murmured with a sigh, "but it was in relation to you, three years ago."

"…I don't get it."

"I'm not speaking clearly," he said as an apology. He collected his thoughts and then restarted. "When I turned down May's…dinner plans, I had insinuated to having other plans. With you." Sora blushed more. "She had asked how long my interest had been. I told her since our partnership. Your friends heard me say that phrase in relation to why I've waited to express my interest."

Sora frowned a little. "I wasn't _that_ young."

"We are five years apart. I did not want our ages to intimidate you."

 _We became partners three years ago._ That would have made her nineteen and him twenty four. Maybe that was why she hadn't felt comfortable getting closer to him yet. _I hadn't considered that before._ Now she was twenty two, making him...

"You're twenty seven?"

He looked amused. "This past autumn."

She sheepishly ducked her head a little. "I guess you were right."

"Imagine that."

"Oh shush," she playfully swatted him. "You have been wrong before."

"Only a few times." He stood in front of her much more relaxed. "What's 'Honmei-choco'?"

She could only look at him for a few seconds before averting her gaze.

"I think," she softly murmured as her fingers played with her purse, "you already know what it is."

He didn't say anything. She felt his hand on her chin, making her look up at him. There it was, that wonderful brightness in his grey eyes. How could she have doubted that look?

"Can we have dinner still?"

"If they haven't given our table away."

"Oh shoot. I didn't think about that."

"You have analyzed enough tonight." He lightly brushed her cheek. "Let me handle it."

She felt giddy and a dash bashful. "Ok...date."

They kissed softly. His hand slid under her braid, cradling her head. She cupped his face, her fingers brushing his cheek. He pulled away for air. She had a goofy smile on her face for a second before she registered the sound of people clapping. She idly looked at them and then at Leon.

"Why are they clapping?"

He shrugged, not really interested in the reason. Instead, he leaned forward for another kiss. Her hand slid up into his hair. She hummed approvingly at the feeling of his silky locks. He smiled a little at the sound. Then he slanted his mouth, making her grip his hair tighter.

 _And he's ok with PDA._

She mentally bookmarked that important tidbit.

SL

Leon and Sora were warming up in the ballet studio.

They chatted a bit as he stretched beside her. They came early enough that there weren't too many people there yet. There were some whispers about but too softly for them to hear them. Sora stood up suddenly, making Leon look up.

"Bathroom!"

He shook his head as she darted off. He leaned forward with his legs stretched out, slowing getting his forehead to touch his shins. Flexibility was vital to maintain in their line of work. His palms rested on the mat besides his legs as he felt the stretch. He closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing.

"That's a good stretch."

He opened his eyes, turning his head a little to see the ballet teacher standing next to him. As was custom, the man's cotton candy hair was fluffed up and he was sporting his usual sweat headband. The man was stuck in the 80s fashion, but Leon supposed being in a circus made it not so noticeable.

"Do you need the ballet room?"

"Oh no," the teacher joyfully laughed. "Just checking your progress."

"That is not necessary."

"Of course not. A man such as yourself knows what he's doing."

Leon spotted Sora coming back from the restroom. The teacher leaned towards him a little, putting a piece of paper next to him.

"Call me. Day or night."

Flabbergasted, Leon stared unblinkingly as the teacher gave him a wink and sauntered off.

They still had that to fix, apparently.

SL

SL

SL

AN: Really no plot, just something that popped in my head. XD Due to the length, I made it its own one shot instead of going into _Opposites._


End file.
